Spray booth construction



Nov. 15, 1938. (i. w. ULRICH 2,137,038

SPRAY BOOTH CONSTRUCTION Filed June 1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet;

Nov. 15, 1938. c. w. ULRICH SPRAY BOOTH CONSTRUCTION Filed June 1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 plurality of colors.

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES @P'AT'ENT "o -"ric 2,137,031; V SPRAY BOOTH CONSTRUCTION Clyde w. Ulrich, Peoria, 111.; assignor to Altorfer Bros. Company, Peoria, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 1, lstgsr'iai No. 145,183

11 Claims.

to provide an apparatus so constructed and arranged as to segregate each article to be painted or otherwise treated from other articles while the articles are being moved by a conveyor or other means along a production line or the like.

Another important object is to provide an arrangement whereby two or more articles may be painted or otherwise treated in comparative seclusion from one another, at the same time or in succession, so that one article may be treated in one manner (as by painting in one color) and another and adjacent article may be treated in another manner (as by painting another color), without danger of injury or damage to either by the work being performed on the other.

Still another object is to provide an apparatus of the character mentioned which will lend itself readily to high speed production of particular articles of manufacture, which is relatively inexpensive in construction and maintenance, and which will require a minimum of space.

Many other objects as well as the advantages and uses of the invention will become apparent after reading the following description and claims and after viewing the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View, somewhat diagrammatic, of a preferred embodiment of the invention incorporated in a paint spraying apparatus for domestic laundry machines;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig 1, and taken from approximately the position of line 11-11 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken along a section line corresponding to the lines III--III of Figs. 1 and 2.

The chosen embodiment of the invention illustrates that portion of a production line of domestic washing machines at which the washing machine chassis includingthe legs and other portions are to be painted thereafter to be conveyed to a drier and to a place of assembly of other parts.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 designates a conveyor track or rail suitably supported by any overhead supporting structure which may include members 2, but as the details of this construction form no part per se of the invention and may be of any desired character well known in the art, no further reference to them is deemed necessary. A chain type conveyor 3 is supported on the conveyor rail l by rollers 4 rotatably carried by brackets 5, depending ends 6 of which may be perforated as at I for the reception of hooks or links or any other mechanism whereby to support various articles to be transported by the conveyor. In the illustrated embodiment links 1 are secured to the brackets 5 and in turn are secured to and carry U-shaped carrier arms 9 to the lower ends of which chassis ll of washing machines are illustrated as secured and supported. The washing machine chassis H are shown with wringer frames l2 attached thereto. Suitably supported by overhead construction (not shown) and adjacent to the conveyor track I is a generally oval conveyor track I3 which supports a chain type conveyor substantially similar to the chain type. conveyor 3, being provided with brackets 14 supported on the track l3 by rolls IS. The brackets M are spaced from one another at distances equal to the spacings of the brackets 5 on the conveyor chain 3 and, depending upon the dimensions and spacings of articles such as the chassis ll carried upon the conveyor 3, certain of the brackets I4 carry partition or wall forming members I6. These partition members 16 are shown as attached to every other bracket l4 and as the washing machine chassis I l are also attached to every other bracket 5, the

ment of the track l3 and the conveyor carried thereby and the number of partitions l6 are such as to present three or more partition members l6 between adjacent articles carried by the conveyor 3 at one time so as to segregate at least two articles H from one another as they travel 1 with the conveyor 3.

Suitably located within the bounds of travel of the conveyor carried by the track I3 is a vertical wall I! 'which'may be supported at its ends by posts I8 (one only shown) and intermediate its ends by standards [9 and braces 2|. This wall, as may be more clearly noted in Figs. 2 and 3, preferably extends well above the top of any article carried by the conveyor 3 and down to the floor or ground 22. It also is preferable to have this wall extend substantially parallel to the path of travel of the articles .I I and the partition members I6 and closely adjacent to the inner ends 23 of the partition members.

In consequence of the construction described, each pair of partition members l6, together with that portion of the vertical wall ll extending therebetween, forms a booth or partial housing about the two sides and the back of an article chine chassis with paint or perform otheroperations thereon without danger of spraying paint upon an adjacent article or'chassis and without danger of contaminating any other article through the work being performed upon one. When it is desirable to paint all sides of an article such as would be the case in the present instance, the article may be swiveled as at 24 upon its supporting arm 9 so that the operator may rotate the article to reach all parts thereof.

The conveyor carrying the partition members I6 is driven in synchronism with the conveyor- 3 through connections including sprockets 25 and 26, shafting 21 and 28, beveled gears 29, 29', 3|, 3| and 32, 32, suitable bearing supports (not shown) being supplied as and Where needed. The shaft 28 may be driven from any suitable source of power such as a motor (not shown) and the sprockets through engagement of their teeth with the meshes of the chain conveyors will continuously move the articles II in one direction or the other and the partition members IS in the same direction and synchronously therewith so that as each article I I comes along, it will be segregated on each side from each adjacent article.

- One, two or more operators may be employed to spray paint upon the articles disposed in the moving booths, but as the articles will be moved along the conveyor 3 at a relatively low rate of speed each operator may finish spraying an article before the article is moved beyond the booth in which it resides. With this arrangement successive articles may be painted in different colors without any danger of contaminating an adjacent article. Further-more, the arrangement is useful for purposes other than painting as will be apparent.

In order to carry away the fumes, gas, dust and smoke from spray painting, welding and similar operations, the vertical wall i! may be provided with a plurality of apertures 33, forming a grill in eiiect, through which the obnoxious gases, particles, etc., may be drawn into a vent chamber 34, and a vent 35, by an exhaust fan or the like, not shown.

It should be understood that the term wall" as used in this description and in the claims, is not intended to have a limited significance but, rather, is intended broadly to include any means, such as the venting arrangement shown, to define or segregate a working space such as a booth.

Where apparatus of the character disclosed is employed in operations not requiring venting, the grill and venting means may be wholly omitted if desired, and the wall I! may be made solid. If preferred, there may be a hood wall or the like (not shown) extending over the top of wall I] and over the tops of partition members i6 (allowing passage for the conveyor chains and supporting and carrying brackets) so as to preclude dirt and the like from entering the booths and to prevent paint spray and the like from leaving the booths at the top; also, the exhaust or ventilating system may be connected with the hood, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

While the invention is illustrated in a preferred form and that form as suitable for spray painting of washing machine chassis, it will be understood that many changes and variations may be made therein and that other embodiments may be designed, all without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a conveyor adapted to support and carry in a predetermined path a succession of articles in spaced array, a second conveyor movable in a predetermined path, a part at least of which extends substantially .parallel to the path of movement of the first said conveyor and in proximity thereto, partition wall members carried by said second conveyor and adapted to extend across the path of the first said conveyor and between articles carried thereon, and means for synchronizing said conveyors.

2. In combination, an article conveyor adapted to support and carry a plurality of articles in spaced array along a predetermined path, means providing a relatively vertical wall extending parallel to a portion of the path of said conveyor and in proximity thereto, and means providing a plurality of substantially vertical partitions arranged in spaced relationship to one another and extending substantially at right angles to the first said wall means, said partitions being spaced approximately the same distances apart as articles on said conveyor and being adapted to segregate articles carried by the conveyor from one another.

3. In combination, a relatively stationary vertical wall, an article conveyor constrained to such movement as to carry articles parallel to and across one face of said wall, a plurality of substantially vertical partitions adapted to separate each article from an adjacent article and to cooperate with said vertical wall to form booths, and means for interposing said partitions between articles carried by said conveyor.

4. In combination, an article conveyor adapted to carry articles in spaced array along a predetermined path, means providing a substantially vertical wall extending parallel to a portion of said path, and means for interposing a substantially vertical partition between adjacent articles on the conveyor and into proximity to said wall whereby to form a booth for each article.

5. In combination, a conveyor adapted to support articles in spaced array for movement along a predetermined path, a substantially vertical wall extending along a part of said path and adjacent thereto, a plurality of substantially vertical partition members, and means for moving a Partition member between adjacent articles carried by said conveyor and to a position of cooperation with said wall at the beginning of said path part and for removing the partition member from between adjacent articles at the end of said path part.

6. In combination, means for moving a succession of articles in spaced relation to one another over a predetermined path, an endless conveyor movable in a predetermined path and disposed adjacent to a portion of said path of movement of articles, a plurality of partition members carried by said conveyor in spaced relation to one another and having their mean planes substantially at right angles to the path of movement of the conveyor, a portion of said article path being substantially parallel to the path of movement of said partitions, a substantially vertical wall coextensive with said parallel portions of said paths and cooperative with said partition members to form booths therewith, and means for operating said article, moving means and said conveyor in synchroni'sm with said partition members between adjacent articles.

7. An apparatus of the type specified comprising a pair of spaced apart conveyors having substantially parallel paths of travel through a predetermined length of travel of each thereof, mechanism for causing said conveyors to travel at equal speeds, means on one conveyor for attaching thereto articles to be operated upon during travel, and partition elements mounted on the other conveyor in staggered relation to said means and extending substantially transversely of the direction of travel of said conveyors.

8. An apparatus of the type specified comprising a pair of spaced apart conveyors having substantially parallel paths of travel through a predetermined length of travel of each thereof,

mechanism for causing said conveyors to travel at equal speeds, means on one conveyor for attaching thereto articles to be operated upon during travel, and partition elements mounted on the other conveyor in staggered relation to said means and extending substantially transversely of the direction of travel of said conveyors, and a stationary wall disposed substantially parallel with and spaced from the vertical plane of travel of the conveyor carrying said partition elements and extending substantially throughout the length of the parallel travel of said conveyors for cooperation with said partition elements to define a series of booths.

9. An apparatus of the type specified comprising a pair of conveyor devices and mechanism for driving the same at equal speeds, one of said conveyors traveling through an endless: path shorter than and within the path of travel of the other conveyor, portions of the paths of travel of said respective conveyors being in substantially parallel vertical planes spaced from each other, one of said. conveyors being equipped with suspension devices adapted to carry articles to be operated upon and the other thereof being equipped with partition elements disposed in staggered relation to said suspension devices and extending transversely of the path of travel of the conveyor equipped therewith.

10. An apparatus of the type specified comprising a pair of conveyor devices and mechanism for driving the same at equal speeds, one of said conveyors traveling through an endless path shorter than and within the path of travel of the other conveyor, portions of the path of travel of said respective conveyors being in substantially parallel vertical planes spaced from each other, one of said conveyors being equipped with suspension devices adapted to carry articles to be operated upon and theother thereof being equipped with partition elements disposed in staggered relation to said suspension devices and extending transversely of the path of travel of the conveyor equipped therewith and a stationary wall disposed substantially parallel with and spaced from the vertical plane of travel of the last-named conveyor along the length of parallel travel of both conveyors for cooperation with said partition elements to form operating booths.

11. An apparatus of the type specified comprising a pair of elevated horizontal conveyor elements equipped at regular intervals with suspension devices, those of one of said conveyors being staggered relatively to those of the other conveyor, partition elements connected with the suspension devices of one of said conveyors and the said devices of the other adapted to carry articles to be operated upon, the paths of travel of said conveyors being in part in parallel vertical planes spaced from each other with said partition elements disposed transversely to and intersecting the vertical plane of the travel of the conveyor adapted to carry devices to be operated upon through the length of said parallel travel of said conveyors, a compartment having a foraminous wall disposed in a substantially vertical plane spaced from the said planes of parallel travel of said conveyors and adjacent one side edge of each partition element during travel of the latter through said last-named path for cooperation with said elements to form traveling booths, and means associated with said compartment for causing air to be passed through said booths and into said compartment and exhausted from the latter.

CLYDE W. ULRICH. 

